for your shopping convenience .
•
WE WILL BE OPEN
Yiddish-speaking
day
schools. But they are not
uniformly observant. Their
unifying trait is a deep pride
in their Jewish identity and a
disinterest in being inte-
grated in Argentine political
and social life.
Since their goal is to wor-
ship freely and lead a tradi-
tional lifestyle, these religious
Jews generally get along well
with all Argentine govern-
ments.
Said Rabbi Nathan Grun-
blatt of Buenos Aires'
Lubavitch community: "Life
under democracy or the
military does not change
"Parents refuse
to send their
children to
Sunday school.
They consider
it a waste of
time."
much for a religious Jew.
When I was living in New
Jersey, my father tried to ex-
plain the Argentine situation
to me by letter. He wrote 'The
right wingers are fighting the
left. and the left wingers are
fighting the right while the
religious Jews sit in the mid-
dle and laugh.' "
Most Argentine Jews want
to move out of the Once. They
send their children to public
school and work in other
neighborhoods. In public
schools, Jewish children often
become the targets of nation-
alist anti-Semitism. They ad-
just by minimizing the dif-
ferences that separate them
from other Argentines. In-
volvement in Argentine poli-
tics, going to 'in' summer
resorts, hanging out at the
right places and wearing the
right kind of clothing become
part of their new Argentine
image. In adopting this Ar-
gentine identity, they usually
reject their Jewish heritage.
The story of my friend
Alicia is typical. She was
raised by her Yiddish-
speaking grandmother in the
Once because both her
parents worked. She attended
public school where, at the
age of 15, she became a
political leader in the out-
lawed Peronist youth move-
ment. The Peronists espoused
left-wing nationalist ideas and
were critical of the. Argentine
military governments' human
rights violations.
By the time Alicia grad-
uated from high school, she
had been arrested twice. This
did not deter her from being
politically active in the public
university where she enrolled.
Alicia eventually married a
lapsed Catholic and moved to
the United States in the
mid-1970's after several of her
pplitically-active friends
disappeared. Alicia always
admitted to being a Jew, but
her knowledge of Judaism
was very rudimentary. She
once told me she had never
set foot in a synagogue in
Argentina, not even for a bar
mitzvah or a wedding.
Many of the German and
Austrian Jews who came to
Argentina before and during
World War II have followed a
different pattern of adapta-
tion. They disdain Argentine
society and culture, which
they consider corrupt, and
send their children to bi-
lingual schools, where
English, German or French
are taught in the afternoon by
foreign teachers, and the
Argentine program is fol-
lowed in the morning.
Although some German
immigrants joined congrega-
tions in Buenos Aires, their
children were often excused
from attending services
because of school pressures.
These children, raised with-
out a Jewish or an Argentine
identity, felt closest to the
culture transmitted to them
through their school. Many of
them left Argentina to study
in Europe or the United
States. For those remaining
in Argentina, the assimilation
rate has been extremely high.
A distant relative of mine,
who came from Germany in
the 1920's, has 10 grand-
children. Almost all married
Catholics. The only one to
marry a Jew is living in the
United States.
The first to address serious-
ly the problem of the gradual
demise of the Argentine
Jewish community was Mar-
shall Meyer, a Conservative
American Rabbi who came to
Argentina in 1959. Meyer
founded the Latin American
Rabbinical seminary to train
rabbis and teachers and teach
Hebrew and Judaism to chil-
dren and adults. Meyer also
founded Bet El, the first Con-
servative Argentine congre-
gation, started a Sunday
school, several day schools
and a summer camp.
Meyer's commitment to the
human rights movement made
him a very controversial
figure during the military
regimes of the 1970's and
1980.'s. In his sermons, he
said, "If you believe in the
bible, human rights become
an obligation. In fact, you
cannot understand biblical
literature and remain silent."
He attracted large numbers
of youths to his Friday night
services, which, for the first
time competed with movies
and rock concerts. He also
stressed Jewish youths'
responsibility towards their
country, which, in his view,
was consistent with being a
good, observant Jew, despite
Argentine anti-Semitism.
SUNDAY, AUG., 24th
12 - 5 pm
"with the latest fashions for fall & back-to-school!"
855-6566
AT HUNTERS SQUARE
ORCHARD. LAKE RD.
AT 14 MILE
We're Having
open daily
10-5:30
Wed. & Fri. til 9
Open House
at Temple Israel
Sunday Afternoon, August 24th, from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M.
And You're Invited to Participate
If your family is not presently affiliated with a Congregation and you're
thinking to join a Reform Temple in the Liberal Tradition, TEMPLE IS-
RAEL may be exactly what you're looking for.
• Religious and Hebrew School program, beginning with Pre-
Kindergarten (Age 4), Continuing with Bar/Bat Mitzvah; Confirma-
tion in the Ninth Grade and High School Graduation at Grade 12.
Directed by Joseph Poisson
• Nursery Program for Pre-Schoolers, Three or Five Days weekly plus
Mother-Toddler classes. Directed by Bryna Leib
• Active Youth Group Programming for Grades 9-12
• Junior Choir for Saturday Services and Special Events. All music
programming directed by Cantor Harold Orbach
• Affiliate Groups include Sisterhood, Brotherhood, Couples Club and
Youth Group. And there is special programming for Young Adults, the
Singles Connection, the Singles Extension and our Temple Treasures
— activities for people of all ages
• A Bereavement Support Group for those wishing to receive and offer
strength to families who have experienced death
The Synagogue is the address of the Jewish people. It is a second home,
offering an extension of family among people who have common interests,
desires and goals. It is a place to worship, to find comfort, to celebrate the
meaningful and beautiful events in life. It is a place to study and to learn. It is
a place that shares in the concerns of the broader community by raising
social awareness and by taking action that reflects on moral issues.
Come Join Us for Open House
Learn What Makes Temple Israel Unique
And if you can't come on Sunday, feel free to attend Sabbath Services
Any Friday Evening, at 8:00 P.M.
TEMPLE ISRAEL
A Congregation of Liberal Judaism
5725 Walnut Lake Road (Near Drake) in West Bloomfield
Call 661-5700 for Membership Information
Rabbis: M. Robert Syme, Harold S. Loss, Paul M. Yedwab
Cantor: Harold Orbach
Continued on next page
69